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Heli-Hog Hunt Last Weekend

This is a discussion on Heli-Hog Hunt Last Weekend within the Hunting, Fishing and Vacations forums, Tweet
[QUOTE=planomateo;210204]MT, folks also hunt them with dogs and use knives to kill em.
I just got a chance to ...

[QUOTE=planomateo;210204]MT, folks also hunt them with dogs and use knives to kill em.

I just got a chance to watch that video! WOW, that's intense! I think I would prefer the rifle hunt, some of those things look like they could mess you up REAL good! I'm surprised that just 2 dogs could restrain that pig. When I was a kid, we had a hobby farm with a couple pigs, couple cows, some chickens... Me and my sister used to ride the pigs and they weren't any bigger than that one in the video. They had no problem tossing us around. Of course, we weren't chewing on their ears!
MT

A sow can have up to 3 litters in 1 year and mature sows in their prime (4 years old) can have as many as 14 piglets. Most will average 2 litters/year and 6 piglets per litter. Those female piglets reach maturity as early as 6 months (most at 12 months, depends on size/weight) and start having their own litters. So all you need is one pregnant sow and in a few years you are overrun with them.

There are so many, they are coming into the cities. I know of people who hunt them along the river on the West side of Dallas. That's the interior of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. They are in the suburbs in some areas. And they are not shy either, there's video of big boars walking through a neighborhood in the middle of the day with cars around.

The males will have larger tusks and develop a hard shield on their sides made of fat. Imagine something like a 2" thick piece of leather on the side of the boar. The males try to cut each other with their tusks to win breeding rights and big old boars will have scars all over their shoulders from old fights.

I know a guy who hunts them with dogs. There are chase dogs and there are catch dogs. Chase dogs find the scent and chase down the pigs. Once the pigs are found, they release the catch dogs. Those are the ones that run in and grab the pig and keep the pig from coming after YOU. A decent catch dog can cost $5000 easy.